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    Elastic Container Instance:Deploy the Bookinfo application in Istio

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    Elastic Container Instance:Deploy the Bookinfo application in Istio

    Last Updated:Jun 22, 2026

    Istio is an open source service mesh that provides traffic management, observability, security, and policy capabilities. When integrated with Kubernetes, Istio helps you manage and control container applications while improving performance, security, and reliability. This topic uses the Bookinfo sample application to demonstrate how to use Istio in a self-managed Kubernetes cluster connected to Elastic Container Instance through a VNode.

    Background information

    Istio is an open source service mesh platform that manages traffic between microservices and handles network communications and security risks. Integrated with Kubernetes, Istio provides standardized, secure traffic management and simplifies deployment and O&M.

    Bookinfo simulates a single catalog entry of an online bookstore, displaying book descriptions, details such as ISBN and page count, and reader reviews. Bookinfo is a heterogeneous application composed of four microservices written in different languages, making it ideal for demonstrating Istio features. The end-to-end architecture of Bookinfo:

    bookinfo

    • Productpage: a Python microservice that calls the Details and Reviews microservices to generate a page. It provides the logon and logoff features.

    • Details: a Ruby microservice that contains book information.

    • Reviews: a Java microservice that contains book reviews. It has the following three versions:

      • Version 1, which does not call the Ratings microservice.

      • Version 2, which calls the Ratings microservice and rates a book by using one to five black stars.

      • Version 3, which calls the Ratings microservice and rates a book by using one to five red stars.

    • Ratings: a Node.js microservice that provides ratings based on book reviews.

    For more information, visit Istio.

    Prerequisites

    This topic applies to self-managed Kubernetes clusters. Make sure that your cluster meets the following conditions:

    • A VNode is deployed in the self-managed Kubernetes cluster.

    • If the self-managed Kubernetes cluster is deployed in a data center, the data center is connected to Alibaba Cloud.

    • If the self-managed Kubernetes cluster is deployed on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance and the network plug-in is Flannel, make sure that the Kubernetes cloud control manager (CCM) is deployed in the cluster. This ensures that Elastic Container Instance is interconnected with the pods on real nodes. For more information, see Deploy the CCM.

    Preparations

    1. Install Istio. For more information, see Getting Started.

    2. Create a namespace and configure labels for the namespace. 

      kubectl create namespace istio-test
kubectl label namespace istio-test istio-injection=enabled

    Procedure

    Deploy the Bookinfo application

    1. Create a file named bookinfo.yaml and copy the following template into the file:

      Note

      In the following YAML sample code, nodeSelectors are added to schedule pods to VNodes. You can also configure eci-profile to schedule pods to VNodes. For more information, see Schedule pods to a VNode and Use eci-profile to schedule pods to a VNode.

      Unfold the bookinfo.yaml file

      # Copyright Istio Authors
#
#   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
#   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
#   You may obtain a copy of the License at
#
#       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
#
#   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
#   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
#   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
#   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
#   limitations under the License.
##################################################################################################
# This file defines the services, service accounts, and deployments for the Bookinfo sample.
#
# To apply all 4 Bookinfo services, their corresponding service accounts, and deployments:
#
#   kubectl apply -f samples/bookinfo/platform/kube/bookinfo.yaml
#
# Alternatively, you can deploy any resource separately:
#
#   kubectl apply -f samples/bookinfo/platform/kube/bookinfo.yaml -l service=reviews # reviews Service
#   kubectl apply -f samples/bookinfo/platform/kube/bookinfo.yaml -l account=reviews # reviews ServiceAccount
#   kubectl apply -f samples/bookinfo/platform/kube/bookinfo.yaml -l app=reviews,version=v3 # reviews-v3 Deployment
##################################################################################################
##################################################################################################
# Details service
##################################################################################################
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: details
  labels:
    app: details
    service: details
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 9080
    name: http
  selector:
    app: details
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: bookinfo-details
  labels:
    account: details
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: details-v1
  labels:
    app: details
    version: v1
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: details
      version: v1
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: details
        version: v1
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-details
      containers:
      - name: details
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-details-v1:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
---
##################################################################################################
# Ratings service
##################################################################################################
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: ratings
  labels:
    app: ratings
    service: ratings
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 9080
    name: http
  selector:
    app: ratings
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: bookinfo-ratings
  labels:
    account: ratings
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: ratings-v1
  labels:
    app: ratings
    version: v1
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: ratings
      version: v1
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: ratings
        version: v1
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-ratings
      containers:
      - name: ratings
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-ratings-v1:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
---
##################################################################################################
# Reviews service
##################################################################################################
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: reviews
  labels:
    app: reviews
    service: reviews
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 9080
    name: http
  selector:
    app: reviews
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: bookinfo-reviews
  labels:
    account: reviews
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: reviews-v1
  labels:
    app: reviews
    version: v1
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: reviews
      version: v1
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: reviews
        version: v1
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-reviews
      containers:
      - name: reviews
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-reviews-v1:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        env:
        - name: LOG_DIR
          value: "/tmp/logs"
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        volumeMounts:
        - name: tmp
          mountPath: /tmp
        - name: wlp-output
          mountPath: /opt/ibm/wlp/output
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
      volumes:
      - name: wlp-output
        emptyDir: {}
      - name: tmp
        emptyDir: {}
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: reviews-v2
  labels:
    app: reviews
    version: v2
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: reviews
      version: v2
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: reviews
        version: v2
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-reviews
      containers:
      - name: reviews
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-reviews-v2:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        env:
        - name: LOG_DIR
          value: "/tmp/logs"
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        volumeMounts:
        - name: tmp
          mountPath: /tmp
        - name: wlp-output
          mountPath: /opt/ibm/wlp/output
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
      volumes:
      - name: wlp-output
        emptyDir: {}
      - name: tmp
        emptyDir: {}
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: reviews-v3
  labels:
    app: reviews
    version: v3
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: reviews
      version: v3
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: reviews
        version: v3
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-reviews
      containers:
      - name: reviews
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-reviews-v3:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        env:
        - name: LOG_DIR
          value: "/tmp/logs"
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        volumeMounts:
        - name: tmp
          mountPath: /tmp
        - name: wlp-output
          mountPath: /opt/ibm/wlp/output
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
      volumes:
      - name: wlp-output
        emptyDir: {}
      - name: tmp
        emptyDir: {}
---
##################################################################################################
# Productpage services
##################################################################################################
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: productpage
  labels:
    app: productpage
    service: productpage
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 9080
    name: http
  selector:
    app: productpage
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: bookinfo-productpage
  labels:
    account: productpage
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: productpage-v1
  labels:
    app: productpage
    version: v1
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: productpage
      version: v1
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: productpage
        version: v1
    spec:
      nodeSelector:     # Configure a specific nodeSelector
        k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
      tolerations:      # Configure specific tolerations
      - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
        operator: "Equal"
        value: "true"
        effect: "NoSchedule"
      serviceAccountName: bookinfo-productpage
      containers:
      - name: productpage
        image: docker.io/istio/examples-bookinfo-productpage-v1:1.16.4
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        ports:
        - containerPort: 9080
        volumeMounts:
        - name: tmp
          mountPath: /tmp
        securityContext:
          runAsUser: 1000
      volumes:
      - name: tmp
        emptyDir: {}
---

    2. Deploy the Bookinfo application. 

      kubectl -n istio-test apply -f bookinfo.yaml

      The following command output is returned:

      xxx# kubectl -n istio-test apply -f bookinfo.yaml
service/details created
serviceaccount/bookinfo-details created
deployment.apps/details-v1 created
service/ratings created
serviceaccount/bookinfo-ratings created
deployment.apps/ratings-v1 created
service/reviews created
serviceaccount/bookinfo-reviews created
deployment.apps/reviews-v1 created
deployment.apps/reviews-v2 created
deployment.apps/reviews-v3 created
service/productpage created
serviceaccount/bookinfo-productpage created
deployment.apps/productpage-v1 created

    3. View the status of Bookinfo. 

      kubectl -n istio-test get pods -o wide

      The following command output is returned:

      [xxx@xxx ~]# kubectl -n istio-test get pods -o wide
NAME                                   READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE     IP          NODE                          NOMINATED NODE   READINESS GATES
details-v1-5f957dd5ff-kdvpc            2/2     Running   0          14m     192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>
productpage-v1-85976f8df7-ht5dg        2/2     Running   0          72s     192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>
ratings-v1-69fb6864cf-9l7fp            2/2     Running   0          23m     192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>
reviews-v1-77f77b5-sssgw               2/2     Running   0          7m13s   192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>
reviews-v2-5b9b5676c-bcjx9             2/2     Running   0          23m     192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>
reviews-v3-6ff46dbb9c-kf2gl            2/2     Running   0          13m     192.168.xxx cn-qingdao.vnd-m5echu4xxx     <none>           <none>

    4. Check the microservices of Bookinfo.

      kubectl -n istio-test get services

      The following command output is returned:

      NAME          TYPE        CLUSTER-IP    EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)    AGE
details       ClusterIP   10.96.1.xxx   <none>        9080/TCP   25m
productpage   ClusterIP   10.96.2.xxx   <none>        9080/TCP   25m
ratings       ClusterIP   10.96.1.xxx   <none>        9080/TCP   25m
reviews       ClusterIP   10.96.1.xxx   <none>        9080/TCP   25m

    Deploy an Istio gateway

    1. Create a file named bookinfo-gateway.yaml and copy the following template into the file:

      Unfold the bookinfo-gateway.yaml file

      apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: bookinfo-gateway
spec:
  selector:
    istio: ingressgateway # use istio default controller
  servers:
  - port:
      number: 80
      name: http
      protocol: HTTP
    hosts:
    - "*"
---
apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
kind: VirtualService
metadata:
  name: bookinfo
spec:
  hosts:
  - "*"
  gateways:
  - bookinfo-gateway
  http:
  - match:
    - uri:
        exact: /productpage
    - uri:
        prefix: /static
    - uri:
        exact: /login
    - uri:
        exact: /logout
    - uri:
        prefix: /api/v1/products
    route:
    - destination:
        host: productpage
        port:
          number: 9080

    2. Deploy an Istio gateway. 

      kubectl -n istio-test apply -f bookinfo-gateway.yaml

      Expected output:

      [root@xxx ~]# kubectl -n istio-test apply -f bookinfo-gateway.yaml
gateway.networking.istio.io/bookinfo-gateway created
virtualservice.networking.istio.io/bookinfo created

    3. View the Istio gateway. 

      kubectl -n istio-test get gateway

      The following command output is returned:

      NAME                AGE
bookinfo-gateway    88s

    Verify the microservices of Bookinfo

    1. Obtain the host address of the Istio gateway.

      Select an Istio Ingress Service based on the cluster type. In this topic, LoadBalancer is selected as the Istio Ingress Service.

      kubectl -n istio-system get service istio-ingressgateway

      The following command output is returned:

      [xxx@xxx ~]# kubectl -n istio-system get service istio-ingressgateway
NAME                   TYPE           CLUSTER-IP   EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)                                                                      AGE
istio-ingressgateway   LoadBalancer   10.96.xxx    <pending>     15021:31682/TCP,80:32247/TCP,443:31049/TCP,31400:30519/TCP,15443:31511/TCP   43m

      The istio-ingressgateway parameter of the returned message indicates the host address (in the IP:Port format) of Istio Ingress Gateway. In this topic, the host address is 10.96.XX.XX:80.

    2. Create a test pod to verify the microservices of Bookinfo.

      1. Create a file named test-pod.yaml and copy the following template into the file:

        Unfold the test-pod.yaml file

        apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: centos
spec:
  nodeSelector:    
    k8s.aliyun.com/vnode: "true"
  tolerations:      
  - key: k8s.aliyun.com/vnode
    operator: "Equal"
    value: "true"
    effect: "NoSchedule"
  containers:
  - name: eip
    image: registry-vpc.cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/eci_open/centos:7
    command:
    - bash
    - -c
    - sleep inf

      2. Deploy the pod. 

        kubectl apply -f test-pod.yaml

    3. Log on to the test pod and run the following commands to verify the microservices of Bookinfo. 

      kubectl exec -it centos -- bash
      curl -s http://10.96.XX.XX:80/productpage | grep -o "<title>.*</title>"

      Replace 10.96.xxx:80 with the internal address of your ingress gateway. If the command returns <title>Simple BookStore App</title>, the Bookinfo application is accessible through the Istio ingress gateway.